- Thompson Prepares for Saturday Morning Ride
- Over 350 Kids participated in KidFit 2008, started by Thompson
Have you ever had one of those days where you know that, no matter how hard you work, there’s just not enough hours to get everything done? A recent, sun-soaked Saturday was one of those days – busy beyond belief. But, that’s alright. I thrive on these days and they help to keep me going. Hard work pays off, after all.
As the morning approached, I got up early to cycle (one of my new favorite activities) with the East Side Cycling Club. My husband David couldn’t join me because he was helping setup a health fair we put together at one of the local churches. He knew I had a busy day ahead and thought it best for me to spend a few hours burning excess energy and getting lost in prioritizing my thoughts (it’s how I’m able to keep everything straight). So there I was, 6:45 a.m. and ready to ride.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, it’s because I now see first-hand the benefit of living a healthy lifestyle. All this health-centric business is new to me. I’ve always paid attention to what I eat and tried to exercise; but, lately I have taken it much further. After getting involved in the Disney Marathon two years ago with Team Burnham I have turned over a new leaf.
As our country continues to argue the pros and cons of healthcare reform, I have started to wonder what a difference we could make at the local level. If even a small part of this attention were put towards changing lifestyles and making our communities more health conscious in general, then we could truly impact lives. The preventative approach may be one of the best and most cost effective long term solutions, and by creating a rich environment that encourages healthy activity and interaction, we may be able to better our communities and thus our coveted quality of life in the process.
Thompson with her running partner after completing 2009 Disney Marathon
Generally, and with new communities especially, we leave it up to the developers and construction engineers to install the “extras” that make a community a desirable place to live. Sure, Orange County prefers developers that adopt a new urbanism, smart growth approach, but there is always more that can be done.
I’m talking about people-friendly roads and cross walks and pedestrian bridges if they’re needed. I’m talking about parks and wide sidewalks to encourage accessibility – and safety. On my recent Saturday cycling trip, I saw a terrible accident as a female rider rode off the road to avoid a vehicle and, when trying to re-enter, collided with other cyclers. There was no bike lane. There was no curb. No sidewalk, even. Many older roads are built to be vehicle-friendly leaving those of us who want to use them for other transportation purposes, be it on bike or on foot, out of luck.
Kid's Fitness Event started by Thompson in 2008
Obviously, if the roads and neighborhoods present physical danger, they will be used far less for healthy activities. Many of us are risking our lives to be healthy. Talk about ironic. You see, by promoting these spaces we can create a better community and a healthier Central Florida. Out of all the work I had to do Saturday, that is what I learned and this ideal is what I will carry with me. Don’t you just love those busy days?
